Taps



p 1958 TH. BRADBURY 2,851,202

' TAPS.

Filed March 27, 1956 lnvenlor W Attorney TAPS Thomas Henry Bradbury, Birmingham, England, assignor to Phillips Telescopic Taps Limited, Birmingham, Eng

land, a British company Application March 27, 1956, Serial No. 574,188

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-505) This invention relates to taps, particularly for oil drums or the like of the type in which a pouring or telescopic tube is adapted to be withdrawn a distance outwardly together with a sleeve valve which closes a pouring opening in the pouring tube, after which further with drawal movement of the pouring tube opens the pouring opening, and this invention has for its object simple auto matic means for operating the sleeve valve for opening and closing the pouring tube by the withdrawal and return movement of the pouring tube. A further object is to provide a tap which is simplified in construction and cheap to manufacture.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is an elevation of a bearing tube, and Figure 2 is an end view.

Figure 3 is an elevation of a pouring tube, and Figure 4- is an end view.

Figure 5 is an elevation of a valve sleeve, and Figure 6 is an end view.

Figure 7 is a side view of a tap constructed according to this invention in the closed position.

Figure 8 is a view with the pouring tube partially withdrawn but with the pouring outlet closed, and

Figure 9 is a view of the tap opened.

According to a convenient embodiment of the present invention, the tap for an oil drum or the like comprises a rose or flanged boss it which is fixed in the wall of the drum with a slide guide sleeve 2 thereon passing into the interior of the drum. A pouring of telescopic tube 3 is slidably mounted in the slide guide sleeve 2 and has a pouring opening 4 therein. A sleeve valve 5 is mounted in the pouring tube 3, such sleeve valve comprising a part cylindrical flexible member which is normally positioned to close the pouring opening 4 in the pouring tube. The sleeve valve 5 is adapted to move with the pouring tube 3, in its position closing the pouring opening, during the initial withdrawal of the pouring tube from the drum or the like to position the pouring opening a distance from the wall of the drum (Figure 8) and the sleeve valve 5 is held stationary Whilst the pouring tube 3 is further withdrawn (Figure 9), or again retracted to close the pouring opening. The pouring tube 3 has diametrically opposite longitudinal projections 6 pressed therefrom for engaging slots or keyways 7 in the said fixed slide guide tube 2 in the flanged boss 1 to restrict the pouring tube 3 to an axial sliding movement. The sleeve valve 5 is fixed to the pouring tube in position closing the pouring opening 4 by means of a spring catch which comprises a projection 3 pierced and pressed from the Wall of the pouring tube 3 to engage the circumferential portion 9a of an L-shaped slot '9 in the sleeve valve, and With the catch 8 in this position the sleeve valve is constrained to move with the pouring tube. A projection it) is bent from a corner of the cylindrical spring plate forming the sleeve valve 5 and when the pouring tube has been initially withdrawn, the corner projection it engages and slides on a helical shoulder or abutment ii Patented Sept. 9, 1958 formed by the slot lit: at the edge of the said fixed guide tube or sleeve 2 and flexes the sleeve valve so that the longitudinal portion of the said L-slot is brought into register with the projection 8 engaging the slot. The sleeve valve 5 has a circumferential slot 5a to make the portion having the slot 9 therein flexible. The other side of the sleeve valve 5 is anchored to the pouring tube by means of a projection 12 on the pouring tube which engages a longitudinal slot 13 in the sleeve valve. The sleeve valve 5 is thus anchored to the fixed guide tube 2 and the pouring tube 3 is free to be further withdrawn, so that the pouring opening 4 moves away from the sleeve valve. When the pouring tube 3 is returned, the pouring opening is moved over the sleeve valve 5, held by the slot lie to close the opening and the aforementioned projection 3 moves to the end of the longitudinal portion of the said L-slot 9. On further inward movement of the pouring tube 3, the corner projection 10 moves away from the helical shoulder 11 on the fixed sleeve, thereby allowing the sleeve valve to spring back to bring the circumferential portion 9a of the slot into engagement with the projection 8 engaging the slot, so that the sleeve valve 5 is fixed to the pouring tube 3 and the sleeve valve and the pouring tube move into the drum or container. The inner ends 6a of the longitudinal projections 6 on the pouring tube are adapted to leave the slots 7 in the fixed guide tube 2 and when the pouring tube is turned, the ends of the projections engage helical shoulders 14 on the end of the guide to pull a shoulder 15 at the closed end of the pouring tube against a sealing washer.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A valve structure for a dispensing mechanism for a tap for fixing to the wall of a container comprising a bearing sleeve adapted to be fixed in relation to said wall, a pouring tube slidable therein and having a pouring outlet, a sleeve valve longitudinally and slidably mounted in the pouring tube and comprising a split sleeve of spring material having an L-shaped slot on one side of the slit with one leg of the slot longitudinally of the sleeve and the other leg circumferentially of the sleeve, a projection on the pouring tube for normally engaging said circumferential leg of the slot so that the sleeve valve is held in position closing said pouring outlet, an abutment on the bearing sleeve, and a projection on the sleeve valve which when the pouring tube with the sleeve valve anchored thereto has been partially withdrawn bears on said abutment and contracts the split sleeve valve so that the longitudinal portion of said L-shaped slot is moved into register with said projection on the pouring spout to allow the pouring spout to be further withdrawn with the sleeve valve held stationary by engagement with said abutment and thereby allow the pouring outlet in the pouring spout to move clear of the sleeve valve.

2. A valve structure for a dispensing mechanism for a tap for fixing to the wall of a container comprising a bearing sleeve adapted to be fixed in relation to said wall, a pouring tube slidable therein and having a pouring outlet, a sleeve valve longitudinally and slidably mounted in the pouring tube and adapted to be positioned in and out of register with said outlet and comprising a split spring sleeve of s ring material having an L-shaped slot on one side of the slit with one leg of the slot longitudinally of the sleeve and the other leg circumferentially of the sleeve, a projection on the pouring tube for normally engaging said circumferential leg of the slot so that the sleeve valve is held in position closing said pouring outlet of the pouring tube and constrained to move with such tube, an abutment on the bearing sleeve, and a projection on the sleeve valve which when the pouring tube with the sleeve valve anchored thereto has been partially withdrawn, bears on said abutment and contracts the split sleeve valve so that the longitudinal portion of said L-shaped slot is moved into register with said projection on the pouring spout to allow the pouring spout to be further Withdrawn with the sleeve valve held stationary by engagement with said abutment and, a projection on the exterior of the pouring'tube adapted to enter a longitudinal slot in the bearing sleeve to register the pouring tube in the bearing sleeve for the withdrawal of the pouring tube.

3. A valve structure for a dispensing mechanism for a tap of the type set forth for fixing to the wall of a container, comprising a bearing sleeve adapted to be fixed in relation to the wall of a container, a pouring tube slidable therein and having a pouring outlet, a sleeve valve longitudinally and slidably mounted in the pouring tube, and a spring catch device for fixing the sleeve valve to the pouring tube to move with the pouring tube in its position in such tube closing said pouring outlet, and means for operating said catch device for releasing the sleeve valve from the pouring tube and anchoring the-valve sleeve in a stationary position when the pouring tube is partially withdrawn in the pouring direction so that the pouring tube can be further withdrawn to open the pouring outlet, such catch and means for operating the catch comprising a projection on the pouring tube, a spring portion on the sleeve valve having a slot therein engaged by said projection, such slot having a leg longitudinally of the sleeve and also a leg circumferentially of the sleeve in which latter leg said projection normally engages, an abutment onthe bearing sleeve, and a projection on the spring portion of the sleeve valve for engaging the abutment and moving said sleeve valve so that said longitudinal leg of the slot is moved into register with said projection on the pouring tube when such pouring tube has been partially withdrawn, and means for operating the catch device into locking engagement with the pouring tube on the return movement of the pouring tube so that the sleeve valve moves with the pouring tube into the fully retracted position.

4. A valve sructure for a dispensing mechanism for a tap for fixing to the wall of a container, comprising a bearing sleeve adapted to be fixed in relation to said wall, a pouring tube slidable therein and having a pouring outlet, a sleeve valve longitudinally and slidably mounted in the pouring tube and comprising a split sleeve of spring material having an L-shaped slot on one side of the split with one leg of the slot longitudinally of the sleeve and the other leg cireumferentially of the sleeve, a projection on the pouring tube for normally engaging said circumferential leg of the slot so that the sleeve valve is held in position closing said pouring outlet, an abutment on the bearing sleeve, and a projection on the sleeve valve which when the pouring tube with the sleeve valve anchored thereto has been partially withdrawn bears on said abutment and contracts the split sleeve valve so that the longitudinal portion of said L-shaped slot is moved into register with said projection on the pouring tube to allow the pouring tube to be further withdrawn with the sleeve valve held stationary by engagement with said abutment and thereby allow the pouring outlet in the pouring tube to move clear of the sleeve valve and which abutment is formed by an inclined slot in the bearing tube adapted to be engaged by said projection on the sleeve valve to anchor and contract the valve sleeve when the projection moves down the inclined slot and to allow the valve sleeve to expand when moved outwardly from the slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,924,057 Draper et al. Aug. 22, 1933 1,928,263 Phillips Sept. 26, 1933 2,424,101 Lari July 15, 1947 

